bennos

Keep in mind the transfer from T5 back to T1 can take almost as long as your 50 minute subway ride. (Well, not really, but you'll have to drag your stuff to the parking garage to get on the AirTrain, then go around the loop. It'll easily take 15 minutes.) Also, when I stayed at the TWA Hotel I had to change rooms because, while the soundproofing is generally pretty good, the connecting doors are paper thin.

The TWA Hotel does offer day rates. If you end up on the late flight, you could do the 8am-8pm stay. The hotel is much more interesting when you're awake.

MSYtoJFKagain

Oh, I had no idea they did day rates. If we end up getting the late flight (Seems like that's most of the availability I can find) that will definitely be what we do.

When does the flight time switch to the 1am departure?

CPH-Flyer

Last weekend of March when the summer time table kicks in.

MSYtoJFKagain

Is the best move for the late departure to eat dinner stay up for another hour or two and then sleep? 4:45am arrival seems brutal.

mhy

I would definitely eat on board, because the food in the JFK lounge (LH Senator) is meh. Ideally you'd try to stay up to adjust to Japan time, but that is easier said than done.

For a honeymoon, I'd try really hard to get on the day flight JL5 to maximize the F experience.

MSYtoJFKagain

We're gonna do F on the return. Going to be a lot more sleeping on the way out.

CPH-Flyer

I'd eat dinner on the flight, leave room for about 8 hours to sleep, wake up for a quick breakfast and a refresh/change in to my own clothes and arrive well rested in the morning. I think this a perfect setup. The only thing that can wonder, will JAL offer a full dinner at take-off. They (and NH) have this tendency to not offer full service on the late night departures. I guess time will tell when we get the menus uploaded for April.

rustykettel

I wonder if the stage length would influence that decision.

For MSYtoJFKagain, you can use the shower rooms on arrival at HND to freshen up as well, before dropping off luggage at your hotel or use the luggage delivery service to ship it to your hotel and just enjoy your day in Tokyo.

If you can sleep well on a plane, the early morning arrival is quite nice. If you can't and coupled with jet lag, it can be a bit brutal that first day or so.

CPH-Flyer

Due to the length of the JFK HND flight, I would lean to an expectation of having a full meal. But let's see.

MSYtoJFKagain

I keep forgetting that we're flying a premium cabin and have lounge access. A very nice problem to have!

Does an arriving business class ticket allow lounge access at HND?

rustykettel

No, no arrival lounge and no lounge access without an onward flight I'm afraid. There are shower rooms that are complimentary for J/F pax though.

Massage and Personal Care | Haneda Airport International Terminal

Straying a little from JAL and perhaps better asked in the general Japan forum or specific hotel property thread but- depending on the hotel you're staying at and status, you may be invited to use the fitness facility (shower/etc)/lounge for breakfast (my experience at the Hilton Tokyo as a Gold upgraded to an exec room back when JL1/2 were late night departures) but shouldn't expect to be able to get into a room until closer to or at official check-in time. If you want to guarantee a room during the day, book the night before or a red eye arrival and follow up with the hotel to let them know you're arriving early morning. Just an alternative to consider vs taking time to shower at the airport.

MSYtoJFKagain

I think our first few days will be at either the Hilton Tokyo, Kitano, or Prince Park Tower. I hold no status with any chain these days.

Edit: There are some very strong negative opinions about the Prince apparently.

Pogaf

My husband and I are flying RT Business class SAN-NRT in May. I've never flown JAL before, but am extremely wary about the notoriously warm cabin temperatures. I am one of those people that cannot sleep unless it's under 74F and I've read about cabin temps above 80F! I'm already planning on tossing aside all my plane-safety etiquette and bringing shorts and a tank top to change into, but has anyone ever brought a small personal fan on board? I was thinking of getting a USB-powered one that I could just plug in and enjoy, though I'm concerned a FA may not like it. Any other ideas for staying cool?

Tokyoite

Not that rare, and the FAs wont even bat an eye as long as it is USB-powered or powered by small size batteries (no large batteries to deal with), QUIET (not a strangely noisy fan that would disturb the cabin).
YouTube search it and you will see examples of people with USB fans on the JAL international flights.
I personally have a small hand-held AA battery powered fan, a popular item to have to cope with the hot Japanese summers, and I use it on JAL/ANA flights when needed.

rustykettel

Try to get window seats on the right side westbound and left side eastbound to avoid solar heating as much as possible. There's a thread about cabin temperatures and mitigation strategies

JAL - Hot Cabin